


Handcuffs and Pocket Things

by goingtothetardis



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: But also ridiculous and sweet things, F/M, Fluff, Handcuffs, Prompt Fic, Ridiculous and silly things, Romance, Things one might find in transdimensional pockets, oh the fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9915245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goingtothetardis/pseuds/goingtothetardis
Summary: After Rose searches the Doctor's pockets for the sonic screwdriver and finds many peculiar items, she asks the Doctor to explain the importance of everything.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gingergallifreyan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingergallifreyan/gifts).



> Gingergallifreyan prompted (ages and ages ago): "how bout revisiting that drabble where the Doctor is in handcuffs? And Rose is looking in his pockets. :) We need more Doctor in handcuffs fics."
> 
> Well, my lovely friend. I hope this is what you wanted. :D Sorry it took me about 12 years to write.
> 
> Here is the original [fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5860141/chapters/18338395) she requested more of. This was originally a TimePetalsPrompt (Fish, Watch, Success), and while perusing LegendsLikeStardust, I found this additional prompt (Feathers, Bumfuzzle, Nutella) and worked those words in as well. ;) I told you, this is ridiculous. 
> 
> Thanks to Caedmon for the quick read-through.
> 
> Oh, and I, the person who does not understand poetry, quoted a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem _In Memoriam: 27_. Excellent words. ;)

Rose gingerly sticks her hand into the Doctor’s pocket and waves it around, looking for the sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor glances at her anxiously, eyes wide with impatience. “Rose, can you hurry?” He tugs pointedly on his hands, which are handcuffed to the prison rings above him. 

Rolling her eyes, Rose shoves her arm deeper into his pocket and frowns when she finds something… not the sonic. She pulls out a rubber chicken. “Doctor, why do you have a–”

“Rose! Keep looking! I’ll explain later.”

Rose smirks but continues her search. The Doctor never spends so much time searching for his sonic, and she’s confused as to why it’s not readily available inside his pocket. Her hands graze something cold and metallic, but even as she pulls it out, she knows it’s not the sonic. A rusted fob watch sits in her hand, and Rose studies the curious circular patterns on the surface. 

“ _Rooooooooose_ ,” the Doctor groans. 

“Yeah, yeah.” She drops the watch back and swirls her hand around inside his pocket. 

But a moment later when Rose squeezes the bag of what is _clearly_ bagpipes, she can’t help the short burst of laughter that escapes when the instrument lets out a wheezy whine. The Doctor blushes, his freckles standing in stark contrast on his cheeks. Rose simply looks at him with a tongue-touched smile, waiting for whatever outlandish explanation he might give. 

He huffs. “Fine, okay. Found some bagpipes in the wardrobe when I dressed after regenerating. Thought this body might be musically inclined.”

“Well, I haven’t gotten a performance yet,” Rose says, cocking a brow.

With a sigh, the Doctor jangles his handcuffs and shoots her a pointed glare “I’m a bit tied up at the moment.” After a brief pause, he grins. “Oooh, tied up. See what I did there?”

Rose groans and shoves her arm deep into the Doctor’s pocket until the edge of his pocket cuts into her armpit. It’s a good thing she’s facing the side of his body, because if she’d searched with her other arm, her face would be right in the Doctor’s… Nah, best not go there. 

_Finally_ , her fingers wrap around the smooth, cylindrical object that _has_ to be the sonic screwdriver, and she pulls it out with a shout of success. “Got it!”

“It’s about time,” the Doctor grumbles. 

“Oi. Do you want me to let you out or not?” Rose crosses her arms.

“Yes, yes, sorry. It’s just, we’re on a bit of a schedule here, Rose. Once the electromagnetic frequency disrupter goes off, we’ll have exactly twelve minutes to get back to the TARDIS before they realize we’re gone,” he explains. When he notices Rose continues to glare at him with arms crossed, he quickly gets to the point. “Erm, setting 502.7.B.”

“I should have that one memorized by now,” Rose says as she quickly adjusts the sonic and points it at his handcuffs. They pop open with a satisfying clink, and Rose grabs them as they fall toward the ground. She shoves them into the Doctor’s pocket as he massages his wrists and rolls his shoulders, earning an incredulous look of surprise. “What?” She shrugs with a smirk. “Might be useful.”

Shaking his head in reply, the Doctor swipes the sonic screwdriver from Rose’s hands and moves to the cell door to unlock it. 

“You know, was a bit daft of them to lock us up together. And to not even restrain me! What were they thinking?” Rose wonders.

The Doctor pauses in his task and raises his eyebrow in confusion. “Shouldn’t you be thankful they didn’t?”

“Well, obviously. ‘S jus’ kinda stupid, yeah?”

The Doctor snorts. “Well, this society believes women serve very few purposes outside of rearing a child and keeping house. They assumed you wouldn’t have the brainpower to help me escape.”

Rose huffs in annoyance and mutters a series of creative alien curses at her captors under her breath. “Wankers.”

“Yup!” With the pop of the “p,” the Doctor unlocks the door, just as a loud blast rocks the prison. “And that’s our cue! Run!”

****

+++++

They collapse on the jumpseat, breathing heavily through their giggles. Well, _Rose_ is breathing heavily. The Doctor’s breathing like he just took a leisurely stroll through Hyde Park.

“Did you see their faces when we ran out the front door?” Rose asks, falling against the Doctor, gasping for air. 

“They didn’t see it coming,” the Doctor laughs, wrapping an arm around Rose. “I think that was a record run back to the TARDIS.”

“Yeah, well, you keep me fit with all the running.” Rose pulls away and flexes her arms. She smirks when his gazes briefly travels along the curves of her body. Her smile widens when he looks up quickly and realizes he’s been caught. The Doctor flushes, and while Rose thinks it may be the most adorable thing she’s ever seen, she decides to let him off the hook. For now.

“So,” Rose starts, nodding at his pockets, “I think you have some explaining to do.”

The Doctor follows Rose’s gaze and his eyes widen when he reaches the general vicinity of where her eyes linger. His head snaps up, cheeks pink, and it takes her a moment to realize he thinks she’s been staring at his crotch. 

“I mean,” she waves at his pockets, “bagpipes, Doctor? _Really?_? Why do you have so many useless things in your pockets? Seems like it’d make more sense to carry things that might actually _help_ us when we get thrown in prison.” 

“I do not keep useless things in my pockets!” the Doctor protests. “Everything has a specific purpose. In fact, did you know that on New Edinburgh (the planet, not the city), a song played by bagpipes is a legal form of currency.”

Rose stifles a laugh but can’t keep her lips from twitching. “Alright, Doctor. Empty your pockets. Show me what you keep in there. I’m sure there’s _something_ completely useless. Well, more useless than a bagpipe. ‘S not like we go to New Edinburgh every day, you know.”

Staring at the Doctor with a challenge in her eyes, she cheers inwardly the moment his shoulders slump in defeat. “Fine. And Rose, I’ll make you eat your words.”

“Want to make it interesting, then?” Rose asks. 

The Doctor focuses intently on Rose. “Interesting how?” 

Rose twirls her hair as she considers her options. “Okay, Doctor. If I win – if I find something completely useless – you take me to a luxury spa _and_ spend the day with me.” She smiles innocently at the Doctor. “If you win…”

Before she thinks of an acceptable option, the Doctor interrupts. “A day at the banana groves of Villenguard, including a banana baking class with Chef Tuttifruitti – no laughing, Rose – he’s the best in the galaxy.”

Rose struggles to contain her laughter after learning about the Doctor’s part of the deal, and manages to choke out a word. “Deal.” They shake hands, and Rose points to the Doctor’s pockets. “Now, everything out.”

“Fine,” the Doctor agrees, but then grimaces. “Ehm, maybe we should move to the kitchen table. More room.”

“Whatever you say, Doctor,” Rose replies and grabs his hand before walking to the kitchen.

****

+++++

Fifteen minutes later Rose can’t hold back any more. She collapses into uncontrollable giggles on her chair, laughing harder when the Doctor glares at her from where he stands next to the table, neatly sorting the items from his pockets, both trousers and blazer.

It’s impossible, really, the sheer amount of random items he’s pulled out in the last several minutes. At this point, if he pulled out a small car, she wouldn’t be surprised. 

Rose decides to get a pad of paper and a pen from the junk drawer next to the sink and stands up to take inventory of all the things. 

“What do you need to do that for?” the Doctor asks.

Rose laughs. “Oh, Mum won’t believe me when I tell her this. If I have a list, she’ll be more likely to listen.” 

The Doctor pouts. “Why do you have to tell Jackie? She’ll just laugh at me.”

“Because, Doctor, you carry more things in your pockets than mum carries in her purse. Mum and all her mates combined. I think she needs to know, don’t you?” 

“No.”

Rose simply shrugs, unconcerned. She points to the biggest item on the table and smirks. “Fold up bicycle,” she murmurs, scribbling on her paper.

“With two seats, Rose. One for you and me. Never know when we’ll need to make a quick getaway,” the Doctor rationalizes.

“We make quick getaways all the time! How come we’ve never used it?” Rose crosses her arms across her chest and glares at the Doctor in accusation.

The Doctor tugs uncomfortably on an ear. “Erm, well, forgot I had it in my pocket, to be honest. And we should probably practice riding it first.” He pauses, inspecting the flat tire on the bike. “On second thought, maybe I’ll just put this in storage room B. I prefer my own two feet for a speedy getaway, anyway. More reliable, that.”

With a snort and a shake of her head, Rose turns back to the table. She sorts through various items, some of which are perfectly normal things like a torches, sporks, a multi-tool, and some matches, before focusing on the rubber chicken. “Surely there’s absolutely no point to a rubber chicken.”

Scoffing, the Doctor picks up the questionable item, and whirls it around in a circle. “Quite the contrary, Rose. It’s quite handy when running from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Just throw it off to the side, and it’s an instant distraction for our favorite reptilian friend!”

Rose just stares at the Doctor. Somehow his explanation is perfectly reasonable, and she’s not fazed at all by his response. “Okay, well, what about this?” She picks up a little black pouch and unzips it, lifting out an item from inside. A tampon. And more specifically, one of _her_ tampons. “Doctor, why do you have tampons in your pockets?” She blushes and shoves the little packet back inside the pouch. “ _My_ tampons. The exact brand I use.”

The Doctor takes the pouch from Rose and places it back on the table. “It’s just you and me, there’s nothing to be ashamed about, Rose. It’s a perfectly normal hormonal function of your body. Many species have similar cyclic reproductive events.”

“Doctor, ‘m not talking to you about this.” Rose holds the pad of paper over her face to hide her embarrassment and glares at the Doctor when he gently pushes it down.

“Rose, I’m nine hundred and three years old. A woman’s menstrual cycle is no mystery to me. Very few things are, in fact.”

“Except how to make a move on a girl,” Rose mutters under her breath, before cursing silently when she realizes she’s spoken out loud, and the Doctor’s sure to have heard her unintentional comment. She chances a quick glance at him, and he gazes at her with a curious expression.

Eager to change the subject, Rose picks up the bagpipes and hands them to the Doctor. “I think you owe me a performance, yeah?” 

The Doctor takes the bagpipes and sighs. “I haven’t exactly practiced with this body.” Nevertheless, he adjusts the instrument and takes a deep breath. Rose flinches when the off-pitch screeching wheeze of the bagpipes fill the room, cringing when the sound doesn’t improve after a few minutes. 

“Doctor! Stop! _Stop!_ ” 

He lowers the bagpipes with a frown. 

“What made you think you could play the bagpipes? That was bloody awful!” Rose grimaces. 

“Oi! I’ll have you know Rose, when I was my fifth self, I belonged to a bagpipe playing quartet on New Edinburgh. I returned three times for the annual jubilee performance for the king and queen.”

“Must have been a _long_ time since you’ve practiced, then,” Rose says with a cheeky smile. 

“Talents come and go with each regeneration. In my second body, I was an expert in Aikido. Fifth body, the bagpipes,” he explains.

“And this body?” 

“Well, I’m quite good with the words this time around. I have a terribly talented tongue,” the Doctor says with a wink.

Rose gapes at him, her face flushing red.

_Surely, he doesn’t mean…_

Nah. Not possible.

Rose sifts through the items, adding them and the Doctor’s reasoning for each item to her list:

Glasses - “For reading?”  
Hair ties - “Because she’s always losing them.”  
Hair brush - “Have you seen your hair in the morning, Rose?”  
Banana - “Bananas are good. They don’t need an explanation.”  
Peppermints - “Easier than bringing a toothbrush along!”  
Fob watch - “Oh, just an old Time Lord relic. It’s… Never mind. A Time Lord watch will give you the local time wherever you land in the universe.”  
Candy - “It’s a good way to befriend the locals!”  
Hacky sack - “A social sport in many cultures around the universe.”  
A jar of Nutella - “Well, you won’t let me lick jam off my fingers!”  
A feather boa - “All the men wear feather boas on Excalibri IX.”

The list goes on and on, and Rose starts to wonder if she actually might lose and be required to endure an afternoon with Chef Tuttifrutti. The Doctor will be unbearable.

Finally, something under one of her old hoodies catches her eye. She reaches across the table and picks it up. 

It’s a photograph of her and the Doctor, something someone at some unknown point in time must have taken without her knowledge. Her Mum, perhaps. It looks like a Polaroid, one of those that develops within a few seconds, and the image is well-worn, as if it’s been handled many times around the edges. In the picture, she’s laughing at the camera, happy and carefree, her hair in a wavy disarray around her face, and the Doctor’s looking at her like… like he’s utterly captivated and in lo–

_No._

Nevertheless, she can’t help the tiny gasp that escapes as she studies the image, and she peeks at the Doctor. He’s standing perfectly still, as if he’s been caught with something he’s not supposed to have. 

Keeping a picture of her on his person is actually not a horrible idea, as she does have a tendency to wander from his side, especially at alien markets. But it’s clear the photograph is much, much more than just a form of identification. 

“What about this?” She flips the picture around so he can see it, even though it’s obvious the Doctor knows exactly what it is. 

There a brief moment where she can see a flash of panic in his eyes, but he masks it quickly and relaxes. Just as she predicted, he creates an excuse and reaches to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, when traveling with a jeopardy friendly companion, it’s always good to have a picture of her in case she disappears.”

Rose holds her breath and studies the Doctor. She knows he’s making an excuse and wonders if she should risk pushing the issue. 

But then Rose realizes, not for the first time, that if she doesn’t take this risk, she might miss out on something fantastic. It’s the same urge that pulled her to travel with the Doctor on the TARDIS in the first place.

“Is that what I am to you, Doctor? Just a companion?” Their silly bet is forgotten as she steps around the table to stand next to him. “Because if anyone else looked at this picture, they’d say I’m a lot more to you than that. In fact, people _have_ said that.”

The Doctor’s eyes dart briefly to hers before looking away. “Don’t bumfuzzle me, Rose. I thought you were working on a project.”

“Don’t use your ‘terribly talented tongue’ to distract me with silly words, Doctor,” Rose shoots back. 

Silence hangs heavy between them as she waits for the Doctor to respond. Finally, he turns to her with a loud sigh. “No, Rose, you’re not ‘just’ a companion. You’re oh, so much more than that, and it terrifies me.”

He’s not looking at her, and Rose’s heart clenches at the vulnerability in his voice at his admission. Gently placing her hand on his arm, she turns him slightly to face her and smiles. 

“Doctor, it’s me. You and me. There’s nothing to be scared of,” Rose says. 

“Oh, but Rose, there is.” His eyes flit around, focusing on everything but her.

“Why, Doctor? All that stuff you said about growing old and the curse of the Time Lords, it’s true, yeah? I get that. But what if there’s more to it than that? What if you hold yourself back from allowing joy and love in your life and risk losing more than you ever thought you could have?” Rose presses the Doctor gently, needing him to understand what his Time Lord mind so often forgets. “ _‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all_ ,” she quotes from the only poem that’s ever had any meaning to her. 

The Doctor’s exhales in a loud whoosh, and suddenly she’s crushed in his embrace, his strong arms wrapping around her like he never intends to let her go.

And perhaps he doesn’t.

****

+++++

Rose hugs the Doctor, matching the ferocity of his embrace, as she brings up their bet one last time. “How about we both win?”

The Doctor laughs softly into the crook of her neck. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come hang out with me at goingtothetardis.tumblr.com!


End file.
